Tamarind rice
What you need
2 tbsp ghee
2 cups of leftover rice
1 tbsp concentrated tamarind paste
4 tsp tomato paste
Fresh curry leaves
Unsalted peanuts
Spices: dry whole red chili, panchforan (whole spice mix of cumin seed, mustard seed, fenugreek seed, fennel seed, nigella seed), chana dal, urad dal (skinned, split), ground turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, red chili powder, sugar, salt
What to do
Set up your mise en place. This dish cooks really fast, so you want to have everything measured and organized upfront. The flavors are put in 4 rounds, so I’ve laid them out clearly below:
Bowl 1 - the initial tempering: 1/2 tsp panchforan, 2 dried red chilis, 6 fresh curry leaves
Bowl 2 - tempering dals : 1 tsp urad dal, 1 tsp chana dal
Bowl 3 - the pastes: 1 tbsp concentrated tamarind paste, 4 tsp tomato paste
Bowl 4 - the ground spices: 1/4 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp ground cumin
Heat up a wok at medium-low heat and add 2 tbsp of ghee. Once the ghee has melted, add in the initial tempering bowl #1. Stir & cook for about 15 seconds; when the spices and curry leaves start to pop, add in bowl #2: the tempering dals. Keep quickly stirring to make sure nothing burns.
At this point, you will want to add the pastes (Bowl #3) along with 2 tbsp water. Mix well before adding the ground spices in bowl #4.
Add the leftover rice, mix again, and cover with a lid to steam it until the rice softens a bit (about 3-5 minutes).
Lastly, mix in the peanuts to add a final crunch. Stir together and cook for another minute, and then the tamarind rice is ready to serve!
